← Back to context

Comment by copper-float

1 hour ago

I'm unfamiliar with this, can you elaborate?

Analysis by Fix the Court identified 546 gifts valued at over $4.7 million given to 18 current and former justices, with Justice Clarence Thomas as the primary recipient.

Judicial reform bills have tried to address the issue, but these bills have very little chance of success in the current political environment.

From 2024:

https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hol...

  • In some sense, it is quite remarkable that the institution has survived this long considering they control outcomes of such vast power while being indirectly elected, holding the post for life, and there being such a high standard for the legislature to remove them that it has never been used successfully.

    Looking it up, Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas resigned from office because he accepted $20k from a chap who he was judging a case on. It reminds me of Babe Ruth's life time earnings being under a million, while Shohei Ohtani's annual pay rewound to 1931 dollars is some 3 times that.